Chinese gaming and social media titan Tencent
has raised $5 billion in a bond issue which attracted orders totalling more
than 41 billion US-dollars for its biggest dollar-denominated sale so far, Bloomberg
reported Friday.

The group, known for its wildly popular "Honour of Kings" video game
and
ubiquitous WeChat social media platform, Thursday offered four tranches with
maturities ranging from five to 20 years, according to the financial news
agency.

Tencent refused to comment when contacted by AFP.
In a sign of the appetite for the Chinese giant's debt, the offer --
which
was primarily aimed at US investors -- drew orders totalling more than 41 US-dollars
billion, Bloomberg said, citing a source close to the transaction.
Tencent's last bond issue raised 2.5 billion US-dollars in 2015. Its e-book arm
China
Literature raised 1.1 billion US-dollars for a Hong Kong listing in November 2017.

The new deal is similar to one in November by Chinese e-commerce giant
Alibaba, which raised 7 billion US-dollars in an issue reserved for US institutional
investors.
Tencent is pushing to build up its entertainment and gaming businesses
and
has signalled plans to extend a gaming empire built around WeChat by buying
studios and pushing into content creation.

It also has made no secret of its ambition to diversify and for
international expansion.
In the United States, the group has already invested in Snapchat and
electric car manufacturer Tesla.
Tencent also recently entered into a cross-shareholding agreement with
Sweden's Spotify, the world's largest music streaming company. (AFP)